Epheaim h



(ModeL) E. H. MARSH.-

SUBMARINE GUN AND PORT-THEREFOR.

No. 367,153. Patented July 26, 1887.

| L I Q e fill/Ill UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EPHRAIM H. MARSH, or CEDAR VALE, KANSAS.

SUBMARINE GUN AND PORT THREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 367,153, dated July 26 1887.

Application died July 29, 1826. Serial No. 209,193.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EPHRAIM H. MARSH, a

7 citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Vale, in the county of Chautauqua and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Naval and Siege Gun and Submarine Ports, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to'certain new and useful improvementsin submarine guns and ports for vessels, which are adapted to be employed in connection therewith, the object of my invention being to provide a submarine gun with means whereby a vacuum can be formed in the barrel in front of the charge, so as to do away as far as possible with atmospheric pressure upon the projectile until it emerges from the gun, and by the special construction of the port, enabling the gun to be discharged below the water-line of a vessel without admitting water to the interior thereof.

With the above ends in view, my invention consists in the construction and combination of the port and gun, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims. 1

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a side view of the barrel of a submarine gun constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken through the port and longitudinally through the gun, said gunbeing in position for firing; and Fig. 3 is a side view of the interior of the port.

A refers to the gun or cannon, which is mounted on a truck of proper construction,

the breach and bore being'of the usual form.

The muzzle of the gun is turned on its exterior, as shown at B, so as to be cylindrical'in cross-section, and the interior of the portion H is bored out, so as to be of greater diameter than the muzzle of the gun, as shown at F. Adjacent to this cylindrical portion of the muzzle a collar, h, is shrunk or otherwise attached to the gun, and at the front straight edge of this collar is located a packing or washer, H, which is preferably made of rubber or other elastic material. The barrel A, near the muzzle, is provided with a tube, 1), which is provided with a stopcock, B. This tube is connected to an air-pump by a flexible pipe, 0, and between these may be located a lModel.)

vacuum-gage, so. as to indicate the rarity of the air in the barrel.

frefers to a convex disk, of glass or other suitable material, which is placed Within the enlarged portion F of the muzzle, a packingring, f, being placed between said disk and the flange at the muzzle of the gun.

When it is desired to prepare the gun for action, the gun is first loaded and the disk f,

with the packing-ring f, placed within the portion F, so as to rest upon the flange at the end of the bore proper. The stop-cock B is then turned and the air is pumped out of the bore, so as to produce as near a perfect vacuum as possible in front of the charge. The stopcock is then turned, when the gun, after being properly placed in the port, is ready to be fired.

a refers to the outer sheeting of the vessel,

D represents a stationary board, which is provided at its rear side with strips d, so as to provide a space between thesame and the portion a, within which 'a sliding port, 0, is

adapted to move vertically, said sliding port having an opening in its lower portion of about the same diameter as the portion Hof the gun. To the board D is rigidly attached a collar, 0, the interior of which is of the same diameter as the opening in said board. The collar and the portions hereinbcfore referred to forming the port are rigidly bolted to each other,so as to permit the sliding gate or port a to have a vertical movement. The inner portion of the collar 0' has pivoted thereto a swinging gate,

I, which is adapted to be folded so as to cover the opening in the' port.

When it is desired to insert the gun A in the port, the swing-gate I is first loosened and elevated, and the gun is run into said port until the extreme end of the muzzle abuts against the sliding port or gate 0, when it is elevated, so as to permit the muzzle to pass through the opening therein. It will be noticed that the muzzle of the gun will support ICO this gate in an elevated position, so that when it is partially withdrawn from the port it will ported upon the muzzle, which is-withdrawn fallautomatically and prevent water entering the interior of the vessel. 'When the gun is discharged, the projectile will carry away the diskf, and, as there is no hydraulic or atmospheric pressure in the gun, the danger of the same bursting is obviated.

By means of the devices hereinbefore de-- scribed, by the introduction of the vacuum in front of the charge the atmospheric resistance to the projectile is avoided and a greater force is obtained from the charge, and guns of ordinary construction, with my attachments applied thereto, may be fired below the waterline without injury, and the port is so constructed that it will be automatically closed a after the gun is fired, as the'sliding gate is supby the recoil.

I claimpacking adjacent to the flange will abut, substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

EPHRAIM H. MARSH.

\Vitnesses:

FRANK A. ALEY, HOMER LASHER. 

